©OceanImageBank/Jayne Jenkins
SHE Changes Ocean is a collaborative platform designed to harness the knowledge, resources, and networks of women and women-led organisations working at the intersection of ocean conservation and gender equality.
Its mission is to amplify the visibility and expertise of women at global and local ocean events, negotiations and policy-making processes to ensure that women are equally involved in all decisions related to the ocean.
Ocean conservation goes hand in hand with climate protection, and both are mutually supportive. Through their advocacy and actions to protect the ocean, members of SHE Changes Ocean support the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement.
SHE Changes Ocean seeks to elevate women into leadership roles within the ocean conservation movement, promoting inclusive and equitable decision-making. Current governance often excludes women, missing opportunities for richer, more robust outcomes informed by diverse perspectives and experiences. Research shows that decisions improve when women are meaningfully included at all levels of leadership.
SHE Changes Ocean also advocates for dignified and ecologically sustainable ocean-related employment for women, ensuring their contributions are recognised beyond labour-intensive roles like plastic cleanup or fish processing. By showcasing women's expertise and fostering equitable opportunities, the initiative highlights the transformative value women bring to ocean governance and conservation.
This alliance is proof of the quality of thought and collaboration that women bring to the table. Having women at all decision levels demonstrates in-depth data and a more solid direction for ocean governance.
©OceanImageBank/Larsvon Ritter Zahony
We are committed to:
our personal and professional skills and networks to protect the ocean, and showing the key role that women bring to all aspects of ocean conservation and the fight against climate change
advocating for inclusive, science-based, and indigenous wisdom-based climate and ocean governance that ensures the health and sustainability of our ocean and our planet;
fighting for the fulfilment of human rights in all decisions regarding the ocean, including the rights to equality, non-discrimination and dignity and the right to a clean, healthy and safe environment
supporting each other and people with similar values and missions, for example, by sharing knowledge and development opportunities, building partnerships, and joining forces on campaigns and events.
using and sharing knowledge about tools and instruments that promote gender-equal decision making in ocean and climate governance, including UN CEDAW’s General recommendation No. 40 (GR40) on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems, Target 23of the Global Biodiversity Framework “Ensure Gender Equality and a Gender-Responsive Approach for Biodiversity Action” and its GBF Gender Plan of Action, as well as the Belem Climate Gender Action Plan and UNESCO’s Ocean Decade Gender Action Plan.
Our Shared Purpose
We are committed to:
Using our personal and professional skills and networks to protect the ocean, and showing the key role that women bring to all aspects of ocean conservation and the fight against climate change
Advocating for inclusive, science-based, and indigenous wisdom-based climate and ocean governance that ensures the health and sustainability of our ocean and our planet;
Fighting for the fulfilment of human rights in all decisions regarding the ocean, including the rights to equality, non-discrimination and dignity and the right to a clean, healthy and safe environment
Supporting each other and people with similar values and missions, for example, by sharing knowledge and development opportunities, building partnerships, and joining forces on campaigns and events
Using and sharing knowledge about tools and instruments that promote gender-equal decision making in ocean and climate governance, including UN CEDAW’s General recommendation No. 40 (GR40) on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems, Target 23 of the Global Biodiversity Framework “Ensure Gender Equality and a Gender-Responsive Approach for Biodiversity Action” and its GBF Gender Plan of Action, as well as the Belem Climate Gender Action Plan and UNESCO’s Ocean Decade Gender Action Plan.
Our decisions and actions will prioritize equity, diversity, dignified and sustainable employment, and the protection of marine ecosystems while amplifying women's voices in policy and decision-making leadership.
©OceanImageBank/LewisBurnett
Founding Members
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Cristina Tebar Less
Policy Director at SHE Changes Ocean
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Andi Cross
Impact Strategist, Expedition Lead, Writer & Divemaster at Edges of Earth — documenting positive stories for local and indigenous communities.
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Taïme Smit Pellure
Marine biologist and activist at Acción Océanos which paves the way for scientific information, disseminating and raising awareness of the problems facing our ocean.
Campaigner for WeMove Europe.
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Farah Obaidullah
Long time ocean advocate, Founder and Director of The Ocean and Us, including the Women4Oceans (W4O) platform - mapping women experts around the world and creating a speaker/expert database.
Editor of the book The Ocean and Us, a contemporary overview of all the ways our lives interact with the ocean. It brings together the expertise of over 35 ocean specialists, all women.
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Ombretta Agro' Andruff
ARTSail Founder and Executive Director; a curator, art convener and a Shero storyteller for the seas.
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Cristina Rocha Antunes
President of United by the Sea which advocates for highlighting the critical importance of the ocean to humanity. An executive producer in the audiovisual industry, with extensive experience in television channels and collaboration with independent producers.
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Jackie Nuñez
Founder of The Last Plastic Straw, Advocacy & Engagement Manager at Plastic Pollution Coalition, and Board Member of Green Latinos, dedicated to raising awareness about the absurdity of wasteful plastic and its impacts on health, the environment, and the ocean.
Focuses on prevention and advocating for real solutions to plastic pollution.
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Antoinette Vermilye
Co-founder of the Gallifrey Foundation and SHE Changes Climate, advocating for tangential legal avenues to slow destructive ocean extraction.
What we do
Our Ocean Conference 2026
SHE Changes Ocean will be attending the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, in June 2026
Women and the Ocean
Why equal governance is needed for ocean (and climate) protection. Download the paper here.
3rd UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), 2025
SHE Changes Ocean advanced a coordinated call to action on gender-equal ocean governance based on UN CEDAW GR40 in collaboration with Women for Sea and the Centre for Blue Governance. This was followed by a high-level event, co-organised and co-chaired by SHE Changes Ocean and featuring senior speakers such as Costa Rica’s Envoy for the Ocean and the Environment (Gina Gillen-Grillo), the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to a clean, healthy and safe environment (Astrid Punetes Riano), and the EU Deputy Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (Charlina Vicheva).
COP30 Belém, Brazil, 2025
SHE Changes Ocean joined Activation Group 7 through an invitation by the COP Presidency, focusing on efforts to preserve and restore oceans and coastal ecosystems. This involved active participation in the production of a report on ocean-based climate solutions.
SHE Changes Ocean co-organised the event “Tides of Transformation: Advancing Equitable Coastal Climate Solutions”, which emphasised the need to ensure that ocean-based climate solutions must actively involve women from the outset and throughout their implementation.
